Rail-joint.



No. 819,172. PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

L. L. SAVOIE. RAIL JOINT.

APRLIOATION FILED MAY 13, 1906- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1906.

Application filed May 13,1905. Serial No. 260,236.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEO L. Sworn, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans andState of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement inRail-Joints, of which the following is a specification, the accompanyingdrawings forming a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a rail-joint which will holdthe ends of the rails firmly and which will not become loose under thejarring of ordinary use.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of two railswith the rail-joints attached. Fig. 2 is a view of a cross-section onthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective of a modified form ofside bar. Fig. 4 is a view of a modified construction of nut-lockingmeans arranged to be attached to the form of side bar shown in Fig. 3.Fig. 5 is a view showing a nutlocliing means applied to the ordinaryhexagonal nut.

The device comprises two plates or side bars A and B, each bar having avertical side portion and a substantially horizontal base portion, thebars being formed to fit on opposite sides of the two rails, thevertical side portion fitting against the web of the rail and the baseportion overlying the side of the foot of the rail, the vertical sidesbeing perforated to receive bolts C, which pass therethrough and the webof the rail. The vertical side of the bar A, which is the bar adacentthe head of the bolt, is provided with an enlarged aperture whichreceives a correspondingly-formed portion c of the bolt C, (shown ondotted lines in Fig. 2,) this aperture is shaped with relation to theenlarged portion of the bolt, so that the bolt may not turn relativelyto the bar. The end of the bolt passes through the vertical side of theside bar B and is threaded to receive the nut D. This nut is preferablyhexagonal, l'iaving six flat sides orfaces, and a portion of each sideis continued in a direction to form a tooth, each tooth presenting aface in the direction in which the nut would be turned to unscrew itfrom the end of the bolt. A spring-tooth E is secured to the base of theside bar B in position to engage with the faces of the teeth on the nutin such a manner that the reverse rotation of the nut to unscrew thesame is prevented. Each tooth may be made separate and secured in anyproper manner in the base of the side bar B in position to engage itsproper nut; but the teeth may be all cut from a plate E, as shown inFig. 4, the plate being secured in position to the base of the side barB. Preferably the plate .E has its upper side edges beveled to fit in acorrespondingly-dovetailed groove F, cut in the base of the side bar.After the plate E has been fitted in the groove F the overhanging edgesof the groove are swaged in, as at f, to engage with the edges of therecesses formed in the plate E by theremoval of the teeth, and thus theplate is firmly and readily secured to the base of the side bar B.

The groove F is easily formed in the base of the side bar, and the teethare readily cut and pressed up from the plate E, and the teeth are allbrought into proper position when the plate E is properly placed.

Vhile it may be preferable to employ the toothed nut shown in Figs. 1and 2, such form of nut is not absulutely essential, as I have foundthat the ordinary hexagonal nut may be retained by the spring-tooth Ebeing arranged to bear against one of the flat sides, as shown in Fig.5. In this modification the teeth may be formed singly and each securedto the base of the side bar, or the teeth may be struck up from a plate,as shown in Fig. 4, the teeth as shown in such figure being applicableeither to a toothed nut or to the ordinary form of nut.

WVhile I have shown the nut as provided with six faces and teeth, it isobvious that a nut with either more or less than that number of facesand teeth may be employed. The nut, however, with six faces willordinarily answer all requirements, as the average bolt is cut with tenthreads to the inch. I-Ience every turn of the nut will advance the sameone-tenth of an inch on the bolt, and onesixth of a turn, which will benecessary to bring any tooth into position to be engaged by theretainer, will only advance the nut oncsixtieth of an inch.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A chair for rail-jointscomprising side bars formed to engage the base and web of the rails onopposite sides thereof, each side bar comprising a vertical web-engagingportion and a horizontal base-engaging portion, the web-engagingportions being perforated to receive bolts, bolts passed through saidweb-engaging portions and the included railwebs, nuts threaded to saidbolts, and a plate secured to the horizontal base-engaging portion ofone of said side bars and provided with spring locking members to engagewith said nuts.

2. A rail-joint connection comprising side bars arranged to engage onopposite sides of the meeting ends of two rails, each bar comprising avertical web-engaging portion and a substantially horizontal baseportion which fits over the foot of the rails, the vertical portionsbeing perforated to register with perforations in the rail webs, boltshaving threaded ends, nuts to engage on the ends of said bolts, andmeans for preventing the unscrewing of said nuts comprising a platehaving teeth struck up therefrom fitted in a dovetailed groove cut inthe base portion of one of said side bars 3. A rail-joint connectioncomprising side bars arranged to engage the webs on opposite A side ofthe meeting ends of two rails, each bar having also a projecting baseportion to fit over the sideof the rail-feet and said bars beingperforated to register with perforations in the rail webs, boltsarranged to pass through said perforations, each bolt being providedwith means engaging one of said side bars whereby it is held fromturning nuts arranged to fit one on each of said bolts,

' and a plate having a number of teeth struck

